novel-bin 65. Catching the Murderer
65. Catching the Murderer
"Hurry to Li Xiaoting's house!"
Does Li Xiaoting have family?
A tiger's roar suddenly rang out on the training ground, coming from Ren Qingshan, jolting everyone out of their daze.
Correct!
Li Xiaoting has been an undercover agent for many years; this must be a revenge killing by river bandits.
Since it's revenge, not only will he suffer, but his whole family may too.
Master Zhou quickly called out, "Tianyifang, Lane 9, Number 2!"
Upon hearing this, Ren Qingshan's eyes flickered, and he immediately sped off, saying, "I'll go first!"
It's actually the Heavenly Physician's Workshop!
Near my home!
Housing is scarce in the inner city, and Tianyifang has the most vacant rooms. It's not surprising that Li Xiaoting is staying here since he just returned.
Seeing that Ren Qingshan had already set off, Fang Yanping secretly praised him for his quick thinking. He also noticed that Jiang Shi'an was looking in his direction and that everyone was watching him and waiting for him to make a decision. So he quickly gave the order.
"Officer Yi, take your men to the outskirts of the city to examine the body!"
"Commander Yang, please order the garrison to place the entire city under martial law."
"Jiang Shi'an, go to Tianyifang and assist Ren Qingshan."
Despite the sudden major event, Fang Yanping remained calm and made arrangements in an orderly manner.
After the three had set off, along with two officials from the prefectural city and a group of minor officials, they sealed the documents for the day and informed the audience that although an unexpected incident had occurred, the third round of the competition would proceed as scheduled the next day.
The recommendation and evaluation system was an official matter of the imperial court.
The accident that happened today stemmed from Li Xiaoting's personal grudge.
One yard owned by a yard.
Even if someone dies, we should not lose our composure because of it.
These river bandits dared to be so brazen, launching an attack on such an important day!
Moreover, the timing was perfect. The three were racing, and the route was determined by drawing lots on the spot. Shui Fei was able to accurately intercept Li Xiaoting. Could it be that... he also had an informant in this event?
Fang Yanping was truly enraged, but two words came to mind—the Qian family.
The Qian family!
The Qian family of Huaiyin is a family with a history of over a hundred years. The current head of the family was once a fourth-rank commander of the Demon Suppression Division. A few years ago, due to old age, he retired and returned to his hometown to focus on raising his descendants.
Regarding the matter of recommendation, the Qian family once sent someone to deliver a note recommending a Qian family prodigy who had already reached the late stage of Silver Blood at the age of sixteen, but he was not selected.
Suppressing powerful local bullies is the county magistrate's duty, especially since there are not enough positions available.
Fang Yanping would never have believed what happened today without the Qian family's help.
If the Qian family were to be responsible for Li Xiaoting's death, it would be a slap in the face to themselves!
……
Tianyifang.
Ren Qingshan rushed over, driven by a sense of justice that arose from his own heart, as well as concern for his own family.
This gang of thugs is incredibly audacious, daring to cause trouble at a critical juncture like today, giving Fang Yanping a severe slap in the face. What else are they incapable of doing?
A patrol of soldiers passed by the alleyway entrance.
Pedestrians were as usual.
Ren Qingshan calmed down a bit and entered Lane 9. He saw that the gate of No. 2 Courtyard on the right side of the street was closed. He twitched his nose and faintly smelled the blood.
With a leap, Ren Qingshan tumbled inside.
The gatekeeper lay on the ground, his neck bones shattered; he was already a corpse.
Beside her was a maid, who had also died tragically, her eyes wide open and blood flowing from her seven orifices.
After a quick glance at the bodies, Ren Qingshan rushed into the inner courtyard, where he saw three corpses. The main room door was open, and rustling sounds could be heard from inside.
He subtly channeled his inner energy beneath his feet, allowing the green hills to land silently as he quietly approached.
Peeking through the door, one could see a man dressed entirely in black, with only his eyes showing, rapidly searching the room.
It's clear that no one from the Li family has survived.
He didn't notice me.
It shouldn't be chalcedony yet!
Hiding behind the door, Ren Qingshan immediately made a judgment.
True Qi defense permeated the entire body, and the five streams of true Qi shot out like arrows released from a bow, using the Qi meridian in the right hand as the pathway!
The power of the true qi gathered in the Qi path far surpasses that of before, comparable to a powerful bow and crossbow, arriving in an instant.
The man in black was caught off guard and was too late to react when he heard the sound of the wind. Although he tried to dodge, his upper, middle and lower body were blocked. Even after dodging four attacks, a wisp of true energy still struck his knee.
His flesh and blood exploded with a bang; one of his legs was almost gone, revealing sharp, pale bone fragments.
He let out a painful roar and fired a barrage of hidden weapons to protect himself.
An overwhelming sense of anger and panic arose within him.
Where did this person come from?
Chalcedony!
A Jade Marrow expert ambushed me!
Ren Qingshan leaped into the air, dodging all sorts of hidden weapons, and burst through the roof. Five more streams of true energy shot down rapidly.
The feeling of practicing hair with these five fingers is truly powerful!
The masked man in black lost a leg, making it difficult for him to dodge, and then his arm was blasted off by his inner energy, turning his "person" into a "丿".
Overwhelmed by excruciating pain, he could no longer hold on and collapsed unconscious.
He fainted.
Ren Qingshan focused his gaze, staring intently for a few breaths to confirm that it was correct before stepping into the blood-soaked, utterly devastated battlefield.
After lifting the mask off the man's face and glancing at him, Ren Qingshan's eyes suddenly froze.
Officer Wang!
Wang Quanxin, one of the seven head constables of Huaiyin County!
Is it him?
Although I have never had any interaction with this person, he is a prominent figure in Huaiyin County. Why would he do such a thing?
Thinking back to the rummaging just now, could he be looking for something?
This person should certainly be spared.
Ren Qingshan first bound him tightly, then searched his body and quickly found dozens of gold leaves and a square token, pure gold in color, with a lifelike five-clawed dragon carved on it.
These must all belong to Li Xiaoting... Wang Quanxin would never have brought so much gold with him when he broke into a house and committed murder.
Just then, Ren Qingshan heard footsteps outside, accompanied by Jiang Shi'an's voice: "Brother Qingshan, are you inside? I am Jiang Shi'an. Lord Fang sent me to assist you!"
"Come in!"
"The murderer has been subdued!"
"It's actually Wang Quanxin, the county's head constable!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shi'an's expression changed slightly. He cautiously entered the room and saw blood and chaos everywhere. A man in black was lying on the ground with his mask torn off, while Ren Qingshan stared intently at him, also showing some wariness.
"Brother Qingshan, what a skillful trick!"
"Now that we've captured this scoundrel, we should be able to follow the clues and find the source."
"Alas... but this Brother Li, his entire family is wiped out."
The two were not familiar with each other, and it was normal for Ren Qingshan to be wary of him after just going through a battle.
Do you recognize this object?
As soon as Jiang Shi'an finished speaking, a golden token flew towards him. Upon catching it, his eyes immediately turned icy.
"The Divine Dragon Cult!"
"This is the token of the Divine Dragon Cult!"
Ren Qingshan sniffed, somewhat speechless.
And you call this the Divine Dragon Cult? Is it the Divine Dragon Cult that claims immortals enjoy eternal life and are as long-lived as the heavens?
Jiang Shi'an snapped out of his daze and hurriedly said, "Pull down his pants and look three inches below his navel. Is there a small dragon-shaped tattoo? If so, then it's confirmed."
"Ahem... You do it, or you do it."
"I don't have the habit of pulling down men's pants."
Ren Qingshan coughed lightly and gave way.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shi'an's body stiffened instantly, but he quickly regained his senses. He realized that the words must have been unintentional, so he stepped forward nonchalantly to verify Jiang's identity.
……
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